The Equality Ombudsman (Swedish: Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO, “discrimination ombudsman”; formerly Swedish: Jämställdhetsombudsmannen, JämO) is a government agency in Sweden tasked with supervising the laws relating to discrimination on sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation or age. It was formed on 1 January 2009 by the four previously separate ombudsmen tasked with different aspects of discrimination.
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History
The term ombudsman refers to the office with staff as well as being the title of its government-appointed acting head. Its main task was to monitor the function and adherence to four laws that regulated gender equality: the Equality Act, the Equal Treatment of University Students Act, the law prohibiting discrimination and other degrading treatment of children and pupils, and as of July 1, 2005, also the law prohibiting gender discrimination.
JämO also worked to increase awareness of the four laws through information and advocacy, and to promote equality in workplaces, colleges, schools, employment training, training institutions, as well as several other areas of society. In 2006 the government's budget for the authority was 27.9 million SEK.
The JämO between 2000 and 2007 was Claes Borgström, who left in order to start a law firm with former Minister for Justice Thomas Bodström. Prosecutor Anne-Marie Bergström was appointed on August 16, 2007 to succeed Borgström. She kept the post until the four discrimination ombudsmen were merged into one agency on 1 January 2009.